Certificate in Missional Leadership
Program Description:
The Certificate in Missional Leadership Program provides a field based, experiential education program for students interested in joining in God’s mission with their lives. It utilizes a unique partnership between Challenge Quest, LLC and a community agency or church to create a learning experience of the highest quality while remaining customizable to the student. Students receive focused individual assessment and coaching, peer mentoring and certification in adventure skills.
This is a field-based learning program that utilizes action-learning and temporary community to help students: 1) accelerate their experience in a career calling they are pursuing or 2) explore career options and discover their life direction while they serve people in a “missional” context.. Missional, for the purposes of this certificate program, means joining in God’s redemptive work in the world. The ideal student is someone in their 20s who wants to follow God, loves people, and wants to make a difference in this world. Currently, though, they are not sure how to accomplish that with their life. The CML program helps the student, while they help the world.
This is a 10 month program where students participate in course work, individual coaching, field based work and peer mentoring processes. Because it is a cohort/communal learning design, students have the added benefit of learning with others who are in the same situation.
Program Components:
- Course work - students participate in a 10 day entry colloquium where they are introduced the program, academic requirements, and initial content. Students would have to confirm a personalized learning agreement which would guide their course of study. This includes how they will acquire new knowledge, how they will demonstrate competency with that new knowledge and activities that would be particular to their goals. Additionally, students from different sites will come together in a retreat setting two days a month for additional course work, coaching and peer mentoring.
- Field Placement: students would work on staff at their placement site as a 60% time staff. They would work under the supervision of the ministry leader of their field site. They would work with their cohort of 3-4 other student interns. The other 40% of their time can be used to earn a moderate amount of money to offset living expenses. Sites this year are in Tulsa, OK with addtional sites being developed in Philadelphia, PA, Minneapolis, MN and several international locations as well. Sites will have emphasis on urban ministry, church youth ministry, and camp ministry.
- Peer Mentoring: students will participate in an action learning process whereby they will bring questions from their current field site to their cohort in order to get help in defining the issue and generating options for addressing their issue. This process will be facilitated by a CQ faculty member. Additionally, this will be an opportunity for peers to provide feedback to each other.
- Learning Agreements: the foundation of each students program is outlined in the learning agreement. This document helps determine learning goals, individualized study assignments, likely assessments and format for individual coaching.
- Coaching: students will meet each month with a CQ faculty for individual feedback and coaching. CQ faculty have extensive experience in education, ministry, and counseling.
Tuition: $5,000.00 (This includes housing during the program.)
Challenge Quest, LLC
Creating the conditions for sustainable change
Visit the following sites for more on this new program:
To follow the personal experience of two program participants go to:
